Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission CEO Mark Compton issued the following statement after criminal charges were announced against five former turnpike officials and two vendors in a so-called "pay-to-play" investigation by the state police and the attorney general's office.---------------------------------------------

We understand how important it is to maintain the public's trust. And certainly, we're troubled by today's news from Attorney General Kane's office.

If charges against former Turnpike employees are indeed proven, we certainly cannot -- and will not -- defend that. But I can say that these actions definitely don't represent the hard-working men and women who keep our road open and safe for customers. In the time that I've been here, the Turnpike that I have experienced firsthand is quite different than the one that I've heard about in media reports.

It's important to point out that we have taken steps in the past two years to reform and modernize Turnpike operations:

• We hired a Chief Compliance Officer, who is a former FBI agent, to make sure employee actions continue to be beyond reproach; and we provided the resources needed to do the job.• We adopted, as policy, a more rigorous, transparent process for awarding professional-services contracts to ensure that only the most-qualified firms are considered and awarded.• Thanks to a recently formed diversity and inclusion department, we are attracting a more diverse pool of contractors and service providers to bid on our projects.

Without doubt, the commission remains committed to continuing our efforts to improve the accountability and operations of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.------------------------------------------------------------

Statement from Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald:

"Joe Brimmeier called me last night to notify me that he was submitting his resignation from the Board of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, effective immediately, in light of the charges announced this morning.

He indicated to me that he is innocent of these charges, but would be focusing his time and attention on proving that. Our justice system is set up on the premise that all men are innocent until proven guilty. I believe that and wish Joe the best in facing this challenge."